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Hue
is located 660 km from Hanoi and 1080 km from
Saigon, Hue has always been considered the fulcrum
of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the Red river delta
and the Mekong delta. The ancient capital of the
Annamese people Hue used to be even greater than
it is today. The Tet offensive during the Vietnam
war and the counteroffensive that followed it
destroyed many of the old palaces.
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There
are still a half dozen or so royal buildings standing
out of the 50 that used to be on the site; some
are in good shape some are being restored others
are left in their half-destroyed state. Walking
through the area is one of the most impressive
experiences in Vietnam. In 1981, after visiting
Hue, Mr. Amadou-Mahtar-M'Bow, then Director General
of UNESCO proclaimed Hue to be "a masterpiece
of urban poetry". On December 11, 1993, UNESCO's
Director General, Federico Mayor acknowledged
the Complex of Monuments of Hue to be a World
Culture Heritage.
The
city is bisected by the Perfume River and along
its banks south of Hue is a ãValley of the Kingsä
containing tombs of the Nguyen emperors. You can
visit them by bicycle or boat.
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